The Bench
by Strangershadow
Summary: The first time he saw her, she'd looked shattered. Malfoy had found her sitting on a steel-cold bench outside his apartment flat, clutching her gloved hands and shivering in the cold. Every morning after then, he'd see Hermione sitting there on that same bench, waiting for someone who never came.


**A/N: So..I was in a crappy, kind of depressed mood and this seemed like a good way to let all of it out. **

**So...yeah...read on... *grins***

**DISCLAIMER- Nope. Don't own Harry Potter**

* * *

**The Bench**

The first time he saw her, she'd looked shattered. The famous war-heroine who had helped defeat Lord Voldemort, looked like a million ghosts had passed her over. Malfoy had found her sitting on a steel-cold bench outside his apartment flat in Wizarding London, clutching her gloved hands to herself and shivering in the cold.

"Granger?" Malfoy was surprised "What're you doing here?"

"Oh, hey." she replied quietly.

"What- no snarky comment, no hexes?" he sneered "Tsk, I expected better from you, Granger."

"Piss off, Malfoy"

His eyebrow arched up "Rather strong choice of words coming from you, don't you think?"

"No."

He tilted his head to the side and blinked "Granger, are you okay?"

"No."

"What happened?"

"None of your business."

"You're out in the freezing cold, sitting in front of my apartment flat, looking like you haven't eaten in days." he replied, eyes narrowing "So, yes, it is my business."

She frowned stubbornly and shook her head "No, it's not."

"Then why're you here when you and I both clearly know that your place isn't anywhere even close to mine?" Draco asked.

Hermione shrugged and said nothing.

Draco sighed "You look half-dead, Granger. Just tell me what's wrong already, and I may think about helping you."

She looked angry "I _said,_ it's none of your business."

And so, Draco resigned and left for work, watching out of the corner of his eyes as she continued to sit there.

* * *

The next day, the same happened. Draco opened his window to see that Granger was sitting on the same bench, shivering and playing sullenly with the snow with her wand at hand. He wondered what she was up to, or why she was there at all, but decided it was better not to question her in any case. He continued with his daily activities.

As the next few days passed, Hermione came there and continued with the same thing. She'd sit there, wait, play with the snow, and then by the time Draco returned from work, she'd be gone.

He was puzzled sometimes as to why she would sit there, but whenever he asked her the question, she would reply with a simply, snappish "None of your business" which irritated him to no end. But as days passed, it became a sort of routine for Draco to get up and walk over to his door and find Hermione Granger sitting there on the bench from across the road obediently, come hell or high water.

Very often he'd go over to her and slowly they learnt to become civil to each other. She'd ask him about his job, he'd ask her about her life. As it turned out, she'd broken-up with the Weasley and the whole Weasley clan was a little miffed with her for breaking Ron's heart.

"Harry supports me." she said "I mean, of course he will, because he saw both the sides of the story. The Weasley's- they only heard Ron's side, so they hate me now."

Draco shrugged "Well, it had to be done." to which she laughed and nodded her head.

"Yes, maybe."

And then the topic would avert to love and companionship, where Hermione would always ask him that infuriating question- "Do you love someone?"

"Tell me, Granger, do you? For all the hundred times you've asked me that, you've never answered that question yourself" he said testily one day.

She merely slumped her shoulders and shook her head "I loved Ron, but now I don't."

"Why not?"

Hermione looked up into Draco's eyes and Draco saw a flash of hurt "He never made me feel loved. None of them did."

Draco had no reply to that, so he put his head down and ran a hand through his hair.

"No." he said instead "I haven't loved someone."

Times like these made him wonder what she'd gone through to feel like that. He'd heard a rumor that she'd lost her previous abilities- that she was no longer as intelligent or brilliant- that something had happened, but he didn't know why or how. He never asked her though. It wasn't any of his business, and he doubted whether she'd tell him anyway. Sometimes- many times, in fact- he'd try to tactfully question her into revealing what she was doing sitting on a bench outside his house, but she never answered. She never answered with anything except for "None of your business."

It really got quite irritating at times, but he figured he could do nothing about it. The woman was just too stubborn.

And then one day came when he opened the door to find her sitting there, crying.

He blinked and didn't know why, but felt his heart break. Hermione was sitting there on the bench, hugging herself against the cold and crying into her own embrace, warm tears dripping down her rosy cheeks.

Malfoy didn't know how or when, but he was there by her side in two seconds.

"Granger?"

She looked up and he felt his knees weaken at the sight of her up close "M-Mafoy..."

"Is- what's wrong?! What happened?" he sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder as she shook. "Granger, stop crying and tell me who did this to you!"

She shook her head and continued to cry. Each sob ripped through Malfoy like fire, stinging him right in the heart. He didn't know what to do- he wasn't the best at comforting crying people- he was helpless. All he wanted, all he knew was that he wanted Granger to stop crying because it was killing him to see her like this.

He gently pushed a strand of her bushy hair out of her face and pulled her chin up so that she could look into his softened gray eyes.

"What happened?" he asked softly.

Her lower lip quivered and she looked away "They're not coming b-back..."

"Wha- who? Who're not coming back?"

She shook her head like a child "They're not c-coming back. I w-wait for them...every d-day- every _single_ day, b-but they're not here, Draco...! Why're they not here?!" she sobbed.

Malfoy felt a chill as he heard her say his first name for the first time. He wrapped another arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Granger- what're you talking about?" he asked "Who's not coming back?"

She didn't say anything, just buried her face in his neck and sobbed. Malfoy didn't know what to do, especially when such close proximity with the girl was doing wonders to his body. He felt her hot breath on his neck and shuddered.

"Granger..."

"They're not coming b-back..."

He rubbed her back and shushed her "No, they're coming back" he whispered, feeling broken himself "Don't worry- they'll come back."

And that day he held her while she cried. She refused to go inside his house, and he didn't want to push her, so he stayed there on the bench with her instead. Days went by again, and they grew closer. Malfoy would sometimes get coffee or something to eat for her, and she would take it after much coaxing. The emotional little encounter they'd had was never mentioned of again. Malfoy tried to get her to reveal who she was waiting for, but she wouldn't say anything, so he gave up, and they continued to talk about random topics.

When Christmas came around the corner, Malfoy woke up on the 25th and found her there on the bench. He smiled (why was he _smiling_?) as he grabbed a present from under his bed and opened his building's front door to make his way to her past the snow. She was with her wand as usual, tracing snowflake patterns in the air.

"Merry Christmas" he said, hiding both his hands behind him.

She looked up at him and smiled "Merry Christmas. I got you something."

Malfoy arched an eyebrow "Really? That's...surprising."

"Why?" she frowned "I can't get you a Christmas present?"

"No, it's nothing like that. Just that...well, I used to your arch-nemesis." he said awkwardly.

Hermione laughed, and Malfoy couldn't help revel in the delicious sound of her laughter. He'd made her laugh.

"I think it can be forgotten in the spirit of Christmas." she said, conjuring his present out of thin air.

And they'd exchanged presents right there on the bench, laughing. Draco didn't mind standing there in the middle of the public in his pyjamas if it meant he could be with Granger. The stubborn little witch refused to enter his house anyway, the paranoid Gryffindor that she was. The rest of Christmas was spent thinking about her. Malfoy had had the day off, so he'd asked her if she'd like to join him for dinner. He had already had plans with his mother, but he was more than happy to cancel them to be with Hermione. Besides, Hermione had looked like she could do with some company.

When he'd asked her where all her friends were, she'd looked away and said slowly "Harry's at The Burrow with Ginny and everyone, and I thought it'd be rude to intrude."

Draco scowled "Intrude? They're your friends, Granger. You don't _intrude_ on your friends and family."

She'd just smiled "It's okay. I'd rather wait here."

Draco frowned again "For who?"

"None of your business."

Damn those blasted four worsd, he cursed. Taking a deep breath, he'd asked her if she'd at least come to dinner like he'd offered, but she politely refused.

* * *

Finally, one morning, a month after this had started happening, Draco opened his door to collect the newspaper and found her sitting there yet again. Her scarf was done up until her chin, her brown eyes warm and cheeks pink from the cold. He didn't know why but he felt his heart rate go up as he looked at her. There was something adorably innocent about the way she was flicking her wand and making ribbons of snow fly in the cold morning air as she laughed.

"Oi, Granger!" he called out to her. She looked up from where she sat.

"What?" she called out from across the road.

He raised his paper "Care to join me for breakfast?"

She scowled as he straightened up and began to walk towards her.

"No, thank you. I'm not hungry."

He surveyed her weak cheekbones and shivering hands "You look like you could do with some food and warmth."

She eyed him skeptically, to which he gestured for her to get up "Come on, I swear I won't kidnap you."

"I don't-"

"Granger, get up." he said firmly, putting both his hands on his hips and pulling up his best dangerous look.

Hermione looked up at him, scowling "No."

"Come on! I'm actually offering to help you here!"

"I don't need any help!" she replied back angrily.

"Don't start with me- you come here daily and you shiver in the cold waiting for someone who never comes! What is up with that?"

Hermione blinked up at him with huge brown eyes and all of a sudden Draco felt guilt build up in his stomach. She looked like as if Draco had told her Santa wasn't real.

"They're going to come" she said in a small voice.

"No, Granger, they're not!" he said angrily "Whoever it is you're waiting for, they're not coming back, and you're a fool if you think they are! Bloody hell- it's been a month already, can't you get a hint?!"

Her features turned from broken to hysterical as she looked at Draco in fury.

"_You_ have _no_ right to tell me about what's going to or not going to happen!" she cried "You know nothing- _nothing, _you understand that?!"

"And whose fault is that, Granger?" he yelled back "I'd gladly help- but if you'd only let me- but _no_! No, you can't _help_ but be the stuck-up, uptight, secretive little Gryffindor who thinks keeping secrets is going to prevent her from hurting!"

"How _dare_ you-"

"Don't you dare threaten me, Granger, when I'm the one who has been with you from the past one month when everyone else left you! You know I'm telling the truth so cut the crap and just come inside!"

_Crack!_

Hermione had slapped him right across the cheek. Hard

Draco's head flew to the side and his eyes widened as he tried to recollect what had happened. It was a minute or two before his cheek began to sting. Hermione was standing there in front of him, her chest heaving and brown eyes brimming with tears.

"How d-dare you..." she choked out "How dare you s-say that...they're coming, Draco- _they're_ _coming_-! I thought _you_ would believe me- but you d-don't! How could you?!" she cried before moving past him and hurrying along the road.

Draco stayed there, frozen for a little while, unable to move or say anything. He'd upset her.

And that was the last time he saw her.

* * *

Days passed, turning into weeks, which were now slowly turning into one month, and Draco had had no sign of Hermione whatsoever. He'd send letters of apologies to her place, but to no avail. She never replied. Word had gotten out that apparently she'd quit her job and was suffering from some massive breakdown. At least that explained the hours she's spent waiting on that stupid bench for someone who never appeared.

Neverthless, Draco missed her. Everyday, he pulled his curtains back in the hope of seeing her slender form sitting there, wand flicking and playing with the snow. But she never came. Not even once.

Draco figured she didn't want to talk to him. Obviously, the people she was supposed to be meeting must've been very important to her, considering she'd gotten so angry at him for saying they won't be coming back to her. He figured he'd hurt her, and that was why she wasn't replying.

Imagine his surprise, then, when one day Harry Potter knocked on his door and asked him where Hermione Granger was.

"What do you mean where is she?" Malfoy exclaimed at Potter in disbelief "Shouldn't I be asking _you_ that question?!"

Potter looked taken back "Malfoy- your place is where she was last seen. Quit messing around with me!"

"Messing around? _Messing around?_" Draco gripped the front of Potter's robes, bringing the spectacled man closer to him "Listen to me, Potter. I have been there for Granger when you weren't. I was the one who was with her on that fuckin' bench freezing my bloody arse off, so don't you dare question me and ask me about her whereabouts and make it seem like it's my fault she disappeared!"

Harry shoved Malfoy off and glared at him "Bloody hell, Malfoy- stop being a prat! All of us here are there to look out for her!"

"Then where were you when she needed you?!"

"Don't think you know everything, Malfoy!"

"Why does everybody keep saying that to me? If there's some big bloody secret you're all keeping, then just come up and spit it out, will you?!"

"Fine!" Harry spat "You wanna know why Hermione sat there on that bench every day waiting for her parents?!"

Malfoy blinked, backing away into the living room. Granger had been waiting for her parents?

"Her wha-"

"Because your bloody aunt messed up with her mind!" Harry shouted derisively "Because ever since the War got over, Hermione started losing her mind! She became depressed and angry and unsettled and downright mental, that's why! And every day she asked me and Ron where her parents were- who, by the way, were in Australia having no clue that they had a daughter! What was I supposed to say? What were we supposed to answer to that, huh? We couldn't possibly tell her she'd charmed her own parents into forgetting her- she'd get even more depressed! So we did what we could- we told her her parents were out and they would come back and meet her where she'd last said goodbye to them. And that was right in front of The Leaky Cauldron, on the-"

"-bench in front of my house" Draco finished for Harry, his silver eyes wide with realization.

Hermione's mind and memories had been messed with- all courtesy of Bellatrix Lestrange and her torturing back in the War years.

Harry sighed "We tried to find her parents- hoping that we'd able to lift the charm she'd put on them. But it was too late." he slumped over on one of the couches "Some of the Death Eaters had already caught them and killed them to take revenge on Hermione. Ron and I tracked down her parents' bodies and gave them a proper burial though."

Draco didn't know what to do. He clutched his head and backed up against a wall, sliding down and falling on the floor "Shit...shit, shit, shit. Merlin, what did I- I don't-" Guilt flooded inside him. All those things he'd shouted at her that day- he'd broken all of her hope, he'd ruined everything...

Where was she? Was she alright? Was she somewhere safe- was she okay? Had she finally remembered what she'd done to her own parents? Draco had never felt so helpless in days. He looked up to meet Potter's vivid green eyes.

"Do you- is she- where's she?" he managed to form the words.

Harry shook his head. "I wish I knew, Malfoy."

* * *

Another month had passed, and Draco didn't know what to do. Everything had turned upside down. He missed Granger. He missed Granger every single day- especially when he got up to open his window in the mornings. Winter went, and the days began to become longer once again. He picked up his daily routines, going to work, fighting with Narcissa how he didn't want to get married to anyone yet, come home, and sleep. And the occasional peeks out of the window to see if the bench standing outside was empty or not. But people came and occupied it, sitting there, playing, chatting, eating ice-cream. None of them were Hermione.

Draco had spent the past one month searching every nook and cranny of London for her. He had no bloody idea where she'd gone- and neither did Potter. Both of them searched every place, but she was gone. Draco would come back home, fall on his bed and wonder if she was okay. His heart clenched at the thought of any ex-Death Eaters catching hold of her. He didn't know what to do, and in the frustration of it all, he would go around smashing everything to pieces, throwing chairs and glass items everywhere before repairing them with a quick 'Reparo'.

He returned one night and slammed the door shut behind him, in a particularly bad mood. Another day of frustrating paperwork and potion- making, another day of futile searching for the stubborn Gryffindor woman with no result.

He pulled his curtains back and looked at the bench again. It was empty. Sighing, he lit the fireplace when his doorbell rang. Walking over to his door, all his breath was knocked out as he opened it and there stood Hermione Granger.

He didn't know what to say. His mouth gaped open and he blinked slowly, afraid that if he blinked, she'd disappear.

"Granger...?"

She was there- with her caramel-brown eyes and those wild bushy hair running behind her shoulders.

She smiled slowly, but her lip quivered. Her skin was pale white as she stood there.

"Granger." he said more stably, pulling her into such a tight hug he heard her gasp as the breath left her body "Granger, you idiot, where did you run off to?"

She was so soft, he tightened his hold on her waist and felt her curves pressed against his chest. He buried his face in her bushy locks and lightly kissed her on the neck, not caring what her reaction would be. He was so happy- she was okay...she was going to be okay...

"M-Malfoy..." her timid voice came.

"Hm?"

"..They're not coming back" she whispered.

Draco pulled back to look at her "No, Granger." he gulped as he felt guilty about the lie he was about to tell her "No, they're going to come back."

She bit her lip and shook her head "N-no, they're not...I r-remembered, Malfoy. I remembered that I sent them off to Australia..."

"So- so we'll go to Australia and-"

"N-No... I went there to search for them..." she sniffed, clutching a fistful of his buttoned shirt in her small fists "I- I saw...I saw their g-graves..." she choked.

Malfoy didn't know what to do , so once again, he held her and pulled her into his arms.

"Come inside." he said.

She looked up "What?"

"Come inside, Granger." he repeated "I swear I will not do anything. Just come inside and let me make you something to drink, yeah?"

She shook her head "N-No..."

He frowned, to which she replied "Don't get me wrong. I just- I just want to go back home right n-now..."

"Why d'you come here then?"

"I just-" she looked confused for a little while, as if she didn't know the reason herself "-I just wanted to see you, I guess...I didn't- I don't want to be alone."

He sighed and ran a hand through his platinum blonde hair. Then he stepped out of his apartment and locked it behind him "Fine. I'll drop you off then."

Hermione stared at him for a long time "You...don't mind?"

He sent her a small smile "No, Granger, I don't mind."

When it came to her, he couldn't possibly mind.

* * *

They continued to meet after that night. Smiling, Hermione would wait for him on the bench everyday. They would go grab a coffee and then part ways to go to their own respective jobs. Hermione got back her old job in the Ministry and Draco had his own company to take care of. After a rather fierce reunion between Harry and Hermione, things began to get normal.

To be honest, Draco was afraid that once Hermione went back to behaving normal, she'd forget about him. It was a scary thought- to live without her being his friend. But maybe it was high time for Draco to realize that Hermione wasn't just his friend. He just didn't know how to act upon it.

The next time Draco met her, he was returning back from work. Usually, they didn't meet after work, but this must be something important, he reckoned, as he made out her shadowy figure sitting there on the bench under the street lamp.

"Granger?"

She stood up and looked his way "Malfoy" she smiled.

"What're you doing here?" he asked, blinking, trying to ignore how angelic she looked under the light of the street lamp.

"I came...to thank you" she said slowly, hesitating.

He arched a brow "I don't want you pulling all that Gryffindor crap on me, Granger."

She scowled "Why do you have to comment on every single thing that I say?"

He shrugged "Force of habit. D'you mind holding that thought though? It's pretty cold out here..."

"Just shut up and listen!"

"Fine" he scoffed, folding his arms and looking up at her expectantly "What do you want?"

"I want to say thank you, damn it!" she cried angrily "The past few months- I don't know- you turned out to be the only one who were there for me. I don't know all this happened, or how the situation ended with you taking care of me, but it did and I'm grateful for that, okay? I'm grateful I found you because you never gave up on me! You searched for me and you put up with every side of me and just- just thank you for that! For _everything_!"

Draco chuckled as she finished her ramble "Honestly, Granger, you don't have to thank me."

She scowled "I know I don't, Merlin only knows you have quite the huge ego already." she hesitated "But...I wanted to."

"Oh, you _wanted _to?" he drawled, walking towards her.

"Yes" she said stiffly "I did."

"Well, I would like to thank you too." he said, tilting his head to one side "Would you let me do it?"

She looked puzzled "What do you have to thank me for?"

"Quite a lot of things." he smirked "So...would you let me thank you?"

She shrugged "Of course I would."

Smiling, Draco grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him, making Hermione's lips clash with his own. He heard her gasp, but he didn't really care, because this kiss- this was what he had wanted for so long...and now, finally that he was getting it, he wasn't going to let go. No way. He moved his lips gently, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to his body. Hermione was unmistakably warm and languid as she relaxed in his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her against him harder.

Draco was surprised when he felt her kiss him back. The pit of his stomach flooded with euphoria and he felt her against him, not wanting anything more in the world.

He pulled back slowly and looked down into her warm eyes.

"I've been meaning to do that for quite a long time now." he said huskily.

Her eyes went wide "You have?"

"Hm" he mumbled, pressing their foreheads together softly. He could feel her breath fall on his face, and it sent shivers down his spine. He held her waist tightly.

"Come inside."

She looked startled "W-what?"

"Granger, you heard me." he said, not letting go of her. He felt her palms press against his firm chest "Come back to my place. I won't do anything if you don't want me to. But come inside."

They stood there looking into each other's eyes for a long time before she slowly nodded.

"Okay, then."

Malfoy's face broke out into a grin and he kissed her full on the mouth. She laughed and let him lead the way.

* * *

**A/N: So...how was it?**

**Please review, and thanks for reading :)**

**~SS~**


End file.
